PUBLIC INVITED TO SEP 13, NASHVILLE MEETING ON
PROPOSAL TO DELIST BALD EAGLE.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service will hold the first
of three national public hearings Monday, September 13, 1999, in
Nashville, Tennessee, in regard to the proposed removal of the bald
eagle from the Federal list of endangered and threatened species.
The hearing will take place from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30
p.m. at the McGavock High School auditorium, 3150 McGavock Pike,
Nashville. Immediately before the meeting, between 5:00 p.m. and
6:00 p.m. the Service will host an informal question and answer
session for all interested parties.
During the past 20 years, the bald eagle has made
a dramatic comeback from the brink of extinction. Through public
and private efforts, bald eagles are now nesting in almost every
state in the Nation. On July 6, 1999, the Service published a proposal
to remove the bald eagle from the list of endangered and threatened
species.
The Service has scheduled these hearings in response
to requests from parties interested in providing verbal comments
for the record. Written comments will be accepted until October
5, 1999.
Removing the bald eagle from protection under the
Endangered Species Act will not alter those conservation measures
already in force to protect the species and its habitats.
For additional information on the hearing, please
contact Ms. Tyler Sykes, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Cookeville,
Tennessee at (931) 528-6481 ext. 214. For additional information,
or to submit written comments on the proposed rule, please contact
the National Bald Eagle Coordinator, Jody Millar at (309) 793-5800
ext. 524.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal
Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting, and enhancing
fish and wildlife and their habitats for the continuing benefit
of the American people. The Service manages the 93-million-acre
National Wildlife Refuge System comprised of more than 500 national
wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands, and other special
management areas. It also operates 66 national fish hatcheries,
64 fish and wildlife management offices, and 78 ecological services
field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers
the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations,
restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores
wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments
with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid
program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise
taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife
agencies.